For example, an opening and closing member such as a lid is attached to an opening portion formed in a mount-base member such as a glove box of a motor vehicle. A locking apparatus is provided. The locking apparatus locks the opening and closing member in a closed state with respect to the opening portion or unlocks the opening and closing member.
For example, Patent Literature 1 discloses a side locking apparatus which includes a retainer, a rotor, a pair of rods, a knob and a return spring. The rotor is supported rotatably on the retainer. The pair of rods are individually connected at their proximal end portions to point symmetric positions with respect to a shaft center of the rotor, and are supported such that respective distal end portions can project from and retract back into corresponding sides of a lid. The distal end portions can be brought into engagement with and disengagement from a circumferential edge of an opening portion. The knob is supported so as to be pushed against and pulled away from the retainer. The return spring is mounted on the rotor. When the knob is pulled, a pressing element of the knob presses against a bearing portion of the rotor, thereby rotating the rotor against a urging force of the return spring. As a result, the rods are retracted into the lid, and the lock is released.
In the side lock apparatus described above, the rods are connected rotatably to the rotor with spherical projections formed on the rotor allowed to fit in recess portions formed on the proximal end portions thereof. The recess portions each have an opening portion whose inside diameter is slightly smaller than an outside diameter of the spherical projections of the rotor, and a notched portion is provided on an end face of each of the rods. The notched portion is notched into a substantially circular shape having an inside diameter which is slightly smaller than the spherical portion. The notched portions allow the opening portions to expand so that the spherical projections of the rotor fit into the corresponding recess portions.